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DFA calls on House Dems to get serious on standing up to hate, not attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar

March 5, 2019 - 4:15 pm

In response to continued Democratic efforts to pass a resolution condemning antisemitism in light of recent comments made by Representative Ilhan Omar, Democracy for America (DFA) released the following statement:

"The Democratic Party is united in its opposition to antisemitism. Full stop.

"At the same time, everyone paying attention knows that the particular resolution being pushed right now, not to hold Republicans accountable for the countless times they have stood silently as the President white-washed neo-nazis, but instead to tell a newly elected Black, Muslim, refugee Congresswoman to sit-down and shut-up.

"Rather than uniting against the real threat posed by the rise of antisemitism, Islamophobia, trans-hate, and white supremacy being enabled by the Trump administration every day, Democratic congressional leaders continued effort to push this resolution as a response to Omar's comments plays directly into the hands of right-wing forces in the United States and abroad, looking to divide Democrats and ignore essential questions about American foreign policy.

"If Congressional Democrats are serious about standing up to hate, let's do it with comprehensive congressional action that condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, as well as the disgusting physical and verbal threats that Rep. Omar herself has faced in recent weeks." -- Charles Chamberlain, Chair of Democracy for America.

"He’s a blank slate that’s ridden up to this primary on the coattails of a popular ex-president, so it’s very easy to project a whole host of ideas about what that means for 2020 and beyond,” said Neil Sroka, communications director of Democracy for America, a progressive activist group. “Once he actually starts having a plan and voters see how it differs from the others in the race, that’s not going to wear very well.”